Wishes Can Come True
by koishii-girl
Summary: If you wish upon a star does your wish come true? Sasuke wishes on one the night before his seventh birthday. Will his wish come true, or is it all a lie? Will he and his somber big brother finally have a fun day together? Pre-massacre. Brotherly drama.
1. Chapter 1

**Wishes Can Come True**

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**Note - **This was originally written in 2008 as Uchihacest/Shota. I have since bitchslapped the old me who wrote it, and edited it to make it cute, fluffy, and more socially acceptable. It still sounds like an idiot wrote it, but at least there's no shota content any more. If you read the old version, I am so sorry.

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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Sasuke Uchiha kneeled on his bed, looking at the stars outside his window. They shone down on him happily, like a million little fireflies. It midnight, but he was much too excited to sleep. The next day, July the 23rd, he would be SEVEN years old, practically a man! He wriggled with anticipation.

The door to his bedroom opened slightly, interrupting his happy thoughts. His mother, Mikoto, came in quietly. She walked up to Sasuke and sat down next to him. "Why aren't you asleep, sweetheart?", she asked him in her soft voice.

Sasuke turned his shining eyes to her. "I'm just really happy, Mummy. I can't wait until tomorrow!"

Sasuke's mother smiled gently. "Tomorrow will come faster if you sleep," she said, running her fingers through his short, dark hair.

"I know.", Sasuke sighed. He laid down on his bed and pulled the covers over himself.

Mikoto tucked him in. Then she kissed his forehead and walked out of the door, saying, "Goodnight, dearest. Try to sleep as soon as you can."

A cold breeze blew through the window and Sasuke shivered. This cold in July? How weird! And it had been such a hot day, too... He curled up slightly under the covers. From where he lay, he kept looking out of the window. Slowly, sleep started to claim him. He gave a little yawn. Was his big brother, Itachi, asleep yet? Probably. Sasuke used to sleep with his brother when they were smaller. Then, if he couldn't sleep, his brother would tell him stories and Sasuke would cuddle up to him and feel safe and sleepy. But now they were both too big for that. He frowned a little bit. He missed his brother's comforting words and warmth. That happy time seemed far in the past. Itachi was so cold now... but maybe tomorrow would be different. Maybe his brother would hug him and play with him like they used to. After all, tomorrow was Sasuke's birthday.

The thoughts dissolved in Sasuke's mind. He was really starting to feel sleepy. He looked silently at the open window. He could see stars through it. Sasuke did love the stars. Suddenly, a really bright star appeared and streaked across the sky. It was so bright, it lit up his darkened room! Sasuke sat bolt upright and gasped. "A shooting star!", he whispered. "I should make a wish! Umm..." Sasuke thought for a minute. Then he whispered his wish to the stars. He smiled, thinking about it. Then he laid back down and tried to sleep. His Mummy was right. Tomorrow would come faster if he slept. In a few minutes, Sasuke was fast asleep, and dreaming about the next day.

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**Please leave me a review! The only ones I've got right now are for the old version of this, so I'd like some new feedback. Thanks in advance!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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"Today's my birthday, today's my birthday, TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY! Wake up, Itachi!"

Itachi groggily opened an eye and looked at his little brother, Sasuke, who was jumping on his bed. Seeing his younger sibling, he gave a little groan and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep.

Sasuke responded by pulling the bed-sheets off Itachi and bellowing, "WAKE UP, BROTHER!"

Itachi grunted and sat up slowly. As soon as he was sitting up, he was swept back down as Sasuke gave a big jump, and landed on him. Sasuke threw his arms around Itachi in a hug. Itachi sat up again, this time with his little brother dangling from his neck. He rubbed his eyes and finished waking up. He looked at the clock on his wall. The clock flashed out 9:00AM. "Get off, Sasuke.", he said sleepily.

"No!" exclaimed Sasuke, and clung even tighter to his older brother. "Please, Itachi, please can I stay with you?"

Itachi raised his eyebrows. As annoying as Sasuke was, it was really hard to say no to anything he asked for. Who could say no to that _face_? "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?", whined Sasuke, giving Itachi the world's cutest smile.

Itachi knew he had lost. "All-right, but stop hugging me," he said. "I want to get out of bed."

"Thank you!" Sasuke exclaimed, and he let go of Itachi. Sasuke trailed after his older brother while Itachi got dressed, combed his long, black hair, and made his bed. At breakfast, he chose exactly the same cereal as Itachi, even though he didn't like it. After breakfast, he followed Itachi to the bathroom and brushed his teeth at the same time as his older brother. And when Itachi shooed Sasuke out of the bathroom so that he could use the toilet in peace, Sasuke sat down outside the bathroom doors, keeping up a lively stream of banter.

Itachi tried to ignore his brother's constant prattle, but found it impossible. He decided that as soon as he was ready to come out of his bathroom, he would tell Sasuke to shut up and go play somewhere, but when he came out of the bathroom he didn't have a chance to say anything. Sasuke immediately grabbed his arm and started chattering away. "You took so long in there! I was almost running out of things to say to you. I guess you didn't hear when I asked you if you'd play scrabble with me! Can we play scrabble now?" Sasuke clung hopefully to Itachi's arm and looked hopeful.

Itachi tried not to look at Sasuke. He hated Scrabble, but Sasuke was giving him the look a forlorn kitten gives to its stern owner. The effect was, of course, overpowering.

Itachi was just about to relent, when Mikoto, their mother, bustled up, holding a large box full of birthday decorations. She stopped by Itachi and Sasuke. "Good morning, Itachi. You're up early for a free day," Mikoto said to her older son, as Itachi always slept in on his mission-less days.

Sasuke interrupted her. "I woke him up!" he announced proudly. Mikoto patted his head absentmindedly, nearly dropping her box. She continued talking to Itachi.

"Sweetie, I'm so busy preparing for Sasuke's birthday that I don't have any time to go get his birthday cake from the bakery. Would you please go pick it up for me?"

Itachi answered simply, "Sure." He walked off, leaving Sasuke with his mother.

Sasuke turned the look on his mother. He pouted and asked, "Mum, can I go with Itachi, please?"

Mikoto smiled at her youngest son. "Of course you can go. Have fun!"

"OK!"cheered Sasuke, and he ran after Itachi.

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**Please leave me a review! I'm working hard of fixing this, so I'd like to know that my efforts aren't in vain. Thanks in advance!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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"Mariko's bakery, 261 Fern Street..." Sasuke skipped along next to Itachi, reciting the address of the bakery where his cake would be. He had been repeating it since he and Itachi had left their house. "Mariko's bakery, 261 Fern Street..."

Itachi walked on silently.

"Mariko's bakery, 261 Fern Street...", sang Sasuke as he skipped over a hole in the road. "Mariko's bakery, 261 Fern Street..."

Itachi was really getting annoyed.

"Mariko's Bakery, 261 Fern street...", chanted Sasuke monotonously. "Mariko's bakery, 216 Fern street..."

Itachi stopped in the middle of the road and tried to calm his murderous instincts. Sasuke skipped solemnly around him reciting the address of the bakery over and over again. Itachi grimaced. He was seriously annoyed with his obnoxious little brother. He hated annoying people. He considered drawing out one of the kunai knifes he carried everywhere concealed in his clothes.

Sasuke looked up, smiled at Itachi, tripped over his feet, and fell flat on his face.

Itachi immediately switched to elder brother mode. "Hey! Are you all right? Did you get hurt?", he asked. He stooped down over Sasuke, worried.

Sasuke sat up, rubbing his head and laughing. "Don't worry, I'm fine." He stood up and wobbled for a moment. "Ok, let's get going!" he said and took off down the road. Itachi swore under his breath and raced behind Sasuke. If he hadn't still been sleepy, he would have caught the seven-year old in a moment. As it was, though, he was held up by trying not to crash into things and people in his path. Sasuke ran very quickly, slipping past people and around stalls and corners efforlessly. Itachi was just reaching out for his little brother when Sasuke went careening around a corner, straight into little girl with pink hair. She fell over. Sasuke kept running, but he called out over his shoulder, "Sorry, Sakura!"

The girl quickly exclaimed, "Sasuke-kun! Happy Birthday!"

Sasuke snorted and ran even faster while behind him, Itachi almost ran into the little girl as well.

When Sasuke swerved into an empty alley and knocked over an orange trashcan, Itachi finally caught up. He scooped Sasuke up in his arms and stopped. "You. No. More. Running." He panted. "Mom would kill you if she knew."

Sasuke looked up and saw how serious his brother's face was. He struggled out of his arms and looked around at the unfamiliar street. He looked up at Itachi's face once more. "Where are we?" he asked.

Itachi sighed. "I don't know." he admitted.

Then, Sasuke spotted a signpost. "Oregano Alley..." he read out loud. He gave Itachi a puzzled look. "Are we lost?" he asked anxiously.

"No." answered Itachi. He walked down the empty alley quickly.

Sasuke jogged behind his big brother. He looked around. The alley had a few bags of trash piled up along its sides, but it was pretty clean and there was no graffiti. A fat, orange cat was playing with its kittens nearby. Out of the six kittens, two little black ones were playing together, away from the rest of them. Sasuke smiled. Those two were like him and his brother. He always was so happy when he was with Itachi. He especially liked when his brother carried him on his shoulders. He stopped still. "Hey, I'm tired," he announced. "Carry me?"

Itachi snorted. "Carry yourself," he said.

Sasuke sat down in the middle of the alley. "I'm not getting up unless you carry me," he said. He knew he sounded horribly childish, but he didn't care.

Itachi felt exasperated, but he gave in. He squatted down, and Sasuke clambered onto his shoulders. Sasuke felt great up there. Itachi hadn't carried him like this for _ages_. Looking down on the world, from his perch, he felt like the Hokage. He wondered if this is what it must feel like to be as tall as Itachi. "Thanks, brother," he whispered. "You're so cool."

Itachi raised his eyebrows and didn't answer, but Sasuke was sure the faint glimmer of a smile had passed over Itachi's face for a split second.

Itachi soon reached the end of the alley. He looked around the road and gave a small, satisfied smile. He recognized this place. Sure, they were far from their destination, but Itachi knew where to go now. "You'd better get down now. Ride's over," he said to Sasuke.

Sasuke dropped down from his shoulders and smiled up at him trustingly. Itachi smiled, and quickly hid it. Despite the fact that Sasuke could be an annoying little prick at times, it felt good to be so obviously idolized. Together, the two brothers walked down the road, towards Mariko's bakery, 261 Fern Street.

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**Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I'll review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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The bell over the bakery door tinkled merrily. Mariko, the 60-year old owner of the bakery, looked up from the cash register. She saw two boys standing in front of her. The one was tall and handsome with long hair and eyes like storm clouds, while other one was much smaller, with short hair that spiked at the back and a smile like sunshine. The little one was holding the bigger boy's hand.

"Ah, the Uchiha boys!", Mariko exclaimed happily. She scurried out from behind the counter and embraced the two warmly. The older one stiffened, but the little one giggled and hugged her, exclaiming "Hi, Auntie Mariko! It's my birthday today!"

Mariko ruffled the little boy's hair. "Hi there, Sasuke! Happy Birthday!" She turned to the older boy. "Oh my goodness! Itachi, you're so big! It's been too long since you last came here," she said to him.

Itachi bowed respectfully, and answered, "Yes it really has been, Auntie. Sasuke and I have come to pick up his birthday cake."

Mariko tweaked his nose playfully, "Always the gentleman, huh? I'll bring the cake right away." She scuttled off to the kitchen. Behind her, Itachi rubbed his nose disgustedly and grumbled, "I hate it when she does that." "She messed up my hair.", complained Sasuke.

After a few minutes, Mariko scuttled back carrying the big white cake box that contained Sasuke's cake. She plumped the box into Itachi's outstretched arms, saying "No need to pay me, your mom already paid. Don't show the cake to the little one, it'll ruin the surprise! Have a good day!"

Itachi bowed again, held the cake box in one arm and held Sasuke's hand with his other hand. Sasuke waved goodbye to Mariko and he and Itachi left the bakery.

Sasuke and Itachi were halfway home when curiosity got the better of Sasuke. He pulled Itachi's arm and stopped walking. Itachi stopped too. "What?" he asked Sasuke.

"Please let me see the cake. Please?"asked Sasuke urgently.

"Don't be stupid," answered Itachi. "I'm not going to show you the cake."

Sasuke shook Itachi's arm. "Please let me see it!" he whined. He looked at Itachi with a mixture of sadness and longing. He pouted a bit. "It's not fair. I want to see my cake."

Itachi looked away, so that he wouldn't be caught in Sasuke's web of cuteness. "No," he said as firmly as he possibly could. He could feel Sasuke's reproachful stare. "It's supposed to be a surprise," he finished weakly.

Sasuke abandoned his cute act and tried to grab the cake box.

Reacting quickly, Itachi grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt with one hand and held the cake box as high as he could with the other. Sasuke jumped up, his hands flailing in the air. His shirt ripped with an awful ripping noise and his right hand hit the cake box hard.

The cake and its box went flying out of Itachi's hands. The lid of the box came open in the air. Itachi released what was left of Sasuke's shirt and threw himself towards where he knew the cake would hit the pavement, but he tripped on a loose stone and fell over. He fell hard on his back, and the cake, with-ought its box, fell splat on his face.

"Uh-oh," said Sasuke softly.

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**Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I'll review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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Itachi sat up slowly. Moist chocolate cake, cream, and icing dripped off his livid face. He stood up slowly. A low growl slipped threateningly out of Itachi's mouth. He glared murderously at Sasuke, with his teeth bared in a scowl.

A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine. He slowly backed away, only to end up standing with his back to the wall or a shop. Someone in the small crowd of people that had gathered around laughed.

A young woman helped Itachi to his feet and offered him a handkerchief to wipe the cake off. He nodded and wiped away the chocolate and icing, not taking his eyes of Sasuke for a second.

Sasuke was beginning to feel really scared. He knew his brother could easily boil over with anger and hurt him. He fell to his knees and tried to apologize, "P-please, brother, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean t-t-to..." His apology dwindled to nothing as Itachi clenched a fist menacingly. Sasuke gave a small cry and threw himself flat on the pavement with his arms over his head as two shurikens flew threw the air after dropping out of Itachi's sleeve. One shuriken whizzed past his ear, and the other grazed the back of his right hand. Sasuke felt warm blood gushing slowly out. He looked up at his hand, and saw Itachi standing over him, glaring. Sasuke threw his arms around one of Itachi's legs, and found his voice. "Please!", he shouted up hoarsely. "Please don't hurt me! It was a mistake!" Tears came out of Sasuke's eyes. "Please?", he choked out. The crowd had begun to murmur angrily, and the young woman snatched her handkerchief back from Itachi.

Itachi turned towards the crowd. The look on his face was so murderous that their murmur died down. He said to them simply, "Don't be taken in by his face. He has to learn that he can't get away with things like that." He turned again and looked down at Sasuke. It gave him an odd satisfaction to see Sasuke groveling at his feet, but when he looked into Sasuke's eyes, wide and frightened, like a cornered animal's, he felt sorry for his brother. In any case, Itachi had had his revenge already. He dropped to his knees on the pavement and put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Look," he said. "Now we haven't got a cake. See what happens if you acct without thinking? You need to be more patient if you're ever going to grow up."

Sasuke looked into his eyes, sniveling a little. "Ok," he said quietly.

"Good," he said. "And I'm sorry I hurt you." Casting a glare at the people standing around, he carefully hugged Sasuke.

Sasuke gave a little cough and began to sob uncontrollably.

An old lady in the crowd went, "Aww."

Itachi felt horribly awkward. "Right, er, stop that," he whispered. "We've got to get home. You're being embarrassing. All these people are staring."

Sasuke's sobs calmed down quickly and he looked up at Itachi. He shoved his cut hand in Itachi's face. "You hurt me with the shuriken," he complained. Itachi held his hand lightly and looked at the fresh gash on the back of Sasuke's hand. "Kiss it better," commanded Sasuke.

The people watching laughed and Itachi glared at them and at Sasuke again. "What?" he asked Sasuke incase he had misheard.

Sasuke repeated his demand. "Kiss it better."

Itachi looked at Sasuke's bloody hand. "Why?" he asked his little brother.

"It'll make me feel better," answered Sasuke promptly.

Itachi gulped slightly. He reached out towards Sasuke's hand, and Sasuke drew it back, laughing. "You almost did it!" he taunted. "Ha-ha!"

As the people around laughed, Itachi gritted his teeth and stood up. Ok, I've had enough of this," he said. "Come on." He grabbed Sasuke's unhurt hand and hauled him down the road until they had left the crowd behind and turned several corners. There, he stopped. "Is your hand alright?", he asked Sasuke coldly.

"No.", answered Sasuke.

Itachi inspected Sasuke's hand. "It's just a scratch," he concluded, and let go of it. He stood in silence for a moment before speaking. "Sasuke, I know it hurts and I know you're annoyed," he started. "But look: we don't have a cake now, and you made me look bad in front of the whole of Konoha. If Dad finds out about this, we're toast. We're Uchihas, Sasuke. We have our family honor to keep up. Do you understand?" He rubbed his back and winced He had hit the floor quite hard, and it hurt.

Sasuke nodded in reply to Itach's speech while staring down at his shoes. When Itachi was done, he looked up quickly. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes," said Itachi. "Come on, we're going home."

Sasuke looked at Itachi, covered in cake. He knew his own shirt was torn and he also had cake down his front from his brother's hug. "Mummy will go crazy if she sees us like this.", he protested.

Itachi looked at Sasuke and knew he had a point. They were both complete messes. He shrugged. "We'll have to get in the house through a back door and be very careful."

Sasuke bit his lip, and took off his shirt as Itachi tried to get some icing out of his hair. Sasuke threw away the remains of his shirt. They took the empty back-roads and alleys home. Nobody saw them.

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**Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I can review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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Itachi and Sasuke sat on the floor in Itachi's room, leafing through cookbooks. They had managed to sneak into the house, clean themselves up, and snitch some from their Mother's room. There was no time for them to go buy another cake, so they had decided to bake one. "OOH, I like that one!", exclaimed Sasuke, pointing at a picture depicting a big, fancy cake, enticingly titled 'The Garden of Eden'.

"Hmm...", mumbled Itachi, reading the huge list of ingredients. "I don't think I can make this."

Sasuke pouted, and turned the page. "How about this, then?", he asked Itachi.

Itachi read the page and looked at Sasuke strangely. "Litter-box cake?"

Sasuke dissolved into giggles. "Litter-box cake! That's funny..."

He turned the page again and looked carefully at the picture. Then he tugged Itachi's shirt excitedly. "Oh, look! Chocolate cake with cream! Can we make this one?"

Itachi read the recipe. It didn't seem too hard. Also, the cake that they had originally bought had been chocolate. "This one seems all right.", he agreed. They snuck to the kitchen. Sasuke pulled some aprons from a drawer. He handed a green one to Itachi and put on a red one. Itachi looked at the apron Sasuke had given him. It was lime green, and it had a big, pink, heart-shaped pocket. He put it back in the drawer and chose a plain blue one. He put it on. Then he opened a cabinet and looked through it. He felt a little pull on his apron. "Yes, Sasuke?", he asked with-ought looking at his brother.

"What do I do, Itachi?", asked Sasuke. "I want to help too!"

Itachi closed the cabinet and read the recipe again. He thought for a while. Then he spoke. "A lot of the ingredients are in the store-room. Go get them." He turned back to the cabinet.

Sasuke memorized the ingredients quickly, and snuck out into the corridor. He looked around carefully and scampered into the storeroom, closing the door behind him.

The storeroom was cold, dark, and dusty. Sasuke flipped the light switch on the wall. The shelves were pretty high, but he didn't worry. There was a ladder in the corner. He started looking for the ingredients. He found flour, sugar, and eggs easily enough. He was looking around for the rest of the ingredients, when he heard footsteps coming towards the storeroom. He quickly dropped the ingredients he was holding onto an empty shelf and hid behind a huge sack of potatoes. He curled up as small as he could, and hoped whoever was outside would not come in. His hopes came to nothing, though, because whoever was outside came into the room. Sasuke gave a tiny gasp. It was his mother. "Poop.", he thought. "Mum will definitely find me..."

But Mikoto, it seemed, was too preoccupied about something to notice Sasuke's presence. "I know I left the wrapping paper and balloons in here," she muttered to herself. She started searching around the shelves.

Pretty soon, she was standing in front of the sack of potatoes. Sasuke held his breath. "Not here…" murmured Mikoto as she rummaged through the shelves. Sasuke felt like he would burst.

Mikoto moved away. Sasuke breathed again.

After a few more minutes, Sasuke heard Mikoto exclaim. "Oh, here they are!" A big paper bag rustled as Mikoto picked it up. She walked towards the door. Her hand shot to the light switch instinctively. She frowned. "Now, when did I turn that light on?" she wondered out loud. "I don't remember."

She turned around and surveyed the room. Sasuke gave a little gasp. Mikoto heard it. She put down the paper bag and squatted down next to the sack of potatoes. "Come out, Sasuke-chan. You don't need to hide anymore."

Sasuke grudgingly came out from behind the huge sack. He looked guiltily at the floor.

"Why were you hiding from me?" asked Mikoto amiably.

"I was...um...playing hide and seek with Itachi," improvised Sasuke.

"Oh, that's nice. I'll go then," Mikoto said smiling at the thought of how well her cute sons got along.

Sasuke gave her a strained smile and hid behind the potatoes again. Mikoto left with her paper bag.

Sasuke felt relief flood over him. He came out from behind the potato sack. It took him a few minutes to get all the ingredients, but pretty soon he left the storeroom.

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**Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I can review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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Sasuke entered the kitchen and dumped the ingredients on the counter. "What took you so long?", demanded an angry Itachi.

"Mum came in, so I had to hide, and then I had to get the ladder to reach the high stuff," answered Sasuke.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's start this cake or we'll never finish it." He started pouring ingredients into a bowl. He was still angry. He felt Sasuke's timid little pull on his apron again. He turned around viciously. "What now?" he grumbled.

Sasuke seemed a bit taken aback at Itachi's sudden ferocity. He took a step backwards, and asked timidly, "What do I do now?"

Itachi put down the bowl and pointed at it. "You can keep mixing that," he said.

Sasuke stepped up to the counter. The counter was about the height of his nose. "I can't reach," he complained. Itachi wordlessly pulled up a chair and plopped Sasuke on it. Sasuke reached for the bowl and started mixing as Itachi measured the ingredients and poured them in. It took them nearly an hour to get the mixture right, but once they had poured the mix into the pans and put the pans in the oven, they both felt a large sense of satisfaction. Sasuke sat down on the chair. He leaned his head against the counter and sighed contentedly. Itachi, however, did not rest. He washed the bowl and measuring cups. Then he pulled up another chair and sat facing Sasuke. They both sat in silence for a while.

Sasuke, who was feeling rather sleepy, solemnly got off his chair and tried to sit on Itachi's lap. Itachi pushed him off, and he returned to his chair. He silently stared at Itachi. Itachi was twelve years old, strong, and handsome. He had graduated from the ninja academy at only seven years old with top marks. He was held as the prodigy of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke's eyes shone in admiration. He wanted to be just like his brother, someday. His brother was the most wonderful person in the world, even if he did get really angry sometimes. The rich smell of the cake enveloped him. He breathed in the delicious smell. The smell of the cake, the closeness and warmth of the kitchen, it all made something deep inside Sasuke stir. His heart beat slowed and he yawned. The chair was too hard to nap in. He slipped on to Itachi's lap and nestled into his chest. He closed his eyes and let his mind float away...

"Get off, Sasuke!" His brother's angry voice brought him back to reality. Sasuke opened his eyes slowly. Then he pinched his brother hard on the arm, and settled into sleep.

Itachi looked at Sasuke's sleeping form, and felt helpless. Sasuke was holding on to him tightly. How the little idiot could pinch him and then just fall asleep he'd never understand. The sweet smell of the cake baking surrounded them like a cloak. Itachi found its aroma quite calming. Distracted thmking of the cake, he ran a hand through Sasuke's hair. Sasuke snored, and Itachi has to suppress a snort of laughter. Honestly, the warmth of the oven and the smell of the cake was making him sleepy too. He let his mind drift away...

He came back to reality suddenly, thinking, "I've still got to prepare the cream and icing!" Still, he didn't feel like waking up his brother, and he desperately wanted a nap himself. He decided the cream could wait.

Soon, the timer on the oven pinged loudly and woke Itachi from his doze. He stood up suddenly, wondering where he was.

Sasuke fell to the floor and awoke with a loud yell of "Ouch!" He looked about himself, confused. "What am I doing on the floor?" he wondered out loud. He picked himself up and rubbed his eyes.

Itachi yanked the oven open. The delicious smell of the cake increased. Itachi pulled out the cake pans and put them on a counter to cool. Then he grabbed the cookbook and started preparing the cream at top speed.

Sasuke sat down and watched his older brother work. He rubbed at his eyes again; the sleepy feeling wasn't completely gone yet. It stayed while he watched Itachi prepare the cream and icing, wash more stuff, and turn the two halves of the cake onto a big plate. Then Itachi shooed him out.

"Please can I stay, Itachi?", whined Sasuke.

Itachi was firm. "No.", he answered, and pushed Sasuke out of the kitchen. He locked the door from the inside.

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**Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I can review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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Sasuke pulled on the kitchen's doorknob, but it didn't budge. He stomped his foot angrily and stormed down the hall to his room. He lay down on his bed and frowned up at the ceiling. How come everything was being kept secret from him? It was not fair. He sat up and started punching his pillow. After a few minutes he calmed down. He wasn't angry anymore, only very bored. He jumped off his bed, and ran to the big room where he knew his Mum was.

He arrived only to find his cousin Shisui leaving the room. Shisui greeted him. "Hi, Sasuke! 'Sup?"

Sasuke smiled. He liked his cousin. "Can I help with the decorating, please?" he asked Shisui.

Shisui shrugged. "I dunno. Stay here and I'll go ask your Mum." He slipped back into the room. Sasuke waited outside patiently. Pretty soon, Shisui slipped back out. He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "She said sorry, but no. It's supposed to be a surprise," explained Shisui sympathetically.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I'm sick of surprises," he muttered, and he ran back to his room. There, he punched his pillow some more. Then he lay down and tried to go to sleep.

It didn't work; he wasn't tired any more. He went outside and climbed a tree, but once he had reached the top, it became boring. He climbed down again. He tried throwing around a ball, but that was no fun either. Playing outside without Itachi was boring.

Finally he tried to stand on his head. It didn't work. He had never been able to do it without Itachi holding his legs up. His little frown increased. How come he couldn't do it? He remembered what Itachi always told him. "If you don't practice, you'll never accomplish anything," he used to say to him. Sasuke tried again. He balanced for a split second before falling over. His frown was replaced with a big smile. He knew could do it if he tried some more. He put his hands and head on the ground and tried again carefully. He fell down immediately. The frown came back again, but he kept trying. He wouldn't give up!

After a while, Mikoto came out of the house. She called out, "Sasuke! Come here!"

Her little son came running to her. "Mummy!" he exclaimed happily. "I can stand on my head!" He showed her carefully. Then he threw his arms around her. "See? I can do it now!" he concluded.

Mikoto picked him up and hugged him. "That must have taken a lot of practice. I'm so proud of you!" Sasuke beamed, and Mikoto put him down. "Now, sweetheart, go get ready for the party. It starts at seven, and it's already five o' clock," she ordered.

"OK!," exclaimed Sasuke and he ran off. Mikoto watched him enter the house. She smiled and shook her head. Her little Sasuke had so much energy. He was just like is brother at that age. If only children could stay that way…

An hour later, Sasuke was ready for the party. He took one last look in the mirror before heading down to the big room. He thought he looked handsome. He walked down to the big room. He heard the noise before he even reaches there. Many people were talking at once. He felt shy, as he stood outside the door. He took a deep breath, and opened the door, and the flood of noise ceased. He walked into the silent and full room. A shout went up. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SASUKE!"

Sasuke blushed and his eyes shone. Countless friends and relatives patted his head, hugged him, shook his hand, and wished him a Happy Birthday. His younger cousins regarded him with jealousy. Shisui and some of the other older cousins thumped him on the back and made wisecracks about how _old_ he looked. Yet, within the many familiar faces, the one Sasuke searched for was missing. He couldn't see Itachi anywhere. He was just starting to feel desperate, when Itachi melted out of the crowd. "ITACHI!" squealed Sasuke, and he ran to his big brother. He held on tight to Itachi's hand. Itachi made his way towards the big table in the center of the room, with Sasuke clinging to his hand tightly. When they reached the table, Sasuke looked for the cake. He saw it, and gasped. It was beautiful! Itachi had covered it in chocolate glaze, and had used green icing to write "Happy Birthday, Sasuke" on it in crooked letters. Yes, this cake was special, all right. How could it not be? Itachi had made it for him, after all, and Sasuke could forgive the shakiness of his handwriting.

His mother and father came up, dressed in their best. Sasuke let go of Itachi and held hands with them. They helped Sasuke onto a high stool and announced that it was his seventh birthday. Everyone cheered. His father, Uchiha Fugaku, gave a small speech about Sasuke, and then he announced, "And now, it's time for presents. Which present will he open first?" The Uchiha clan and all its friends and relations waited with bated breath. Sasuke looked worriedly at the huge pile of presents nearby. Which one to pick? He saw Itachi standing nearby and knew which one. A little smile stole across his face. "I choose my brother's present!", he announced loudly.

Cheers and applause erupted from everyone, and Itachi walked over to Sasuke. Sasuke looked up expectantly, his eyes shining in anticipation. Itachi gave Sasuke a small smile and handed Sasuke a yellow box with a quiet "Happy Birthday, little idiot."

Sasuke looked at the large box, smiling. "Is it just a box?" he asked Itachi.

Itachi felt irritated. "Open it.", he said.

Sasuke slowly pulled open the lid and extracted a full sized windmill shuriken. He recognized it as one he had seen Itachi using sometimes. "Oh," he said. He licked his lips and blinked. "Thank you."

Itachi nodded and retreated back to where he had been standing.

Sasuke carefully put the shuriken back into its box. He kept the box next to him while he opened the rest of his presents. Some of the presents were really wonderful, but Sasuke blinked back tears as he opened them. His wish had not come true. The shuriken had no meaning at all; it was just an old, second-hand tool. He thanked each guest calmly and politely, but all the while he felt like sitting down and crying.

After opening the presents, his parents led him to the cake. The sight of the big birthday cake, that had made him so happy before, made him even sadder, as he realized that Itachi had only made it so their mother wouldn't be upset about the loss of the first one. He stood behind it rigidly while everyone sang "Happy birthday" to him. Then he took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

All six candles went out. "Make a wish, make a wish!" everyone chanted.

Sasuke looked up and saw Itachi standing nearby. A big tear ran down Sasuke-chan's face. "Wishes don't come true," he whispered. Then he ran, through the people, past the doors, down the corridor, and into his room. He threw himself onto his bed and sobbed heartily.

Back in the room, whispers ran through the assembled people. "What's the matter with Sasuke-chan? It's very bad luck to cry at a birthday."

Fugaku turned to Mikoto. "Go after him. I'll keep everyone calm here."

Mikoto nodded worriedly. She made her way toward the door. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. There was Itachi. "Let me go instead.", he said to her.

Mikoto's eyes widened for a moment. Then she lowered her eyes and answered, "Yes. He would listen better to you than to me, anyway." She retraced her path back to the table as Itachi strode out of the door.

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**Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I'll review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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Itachi knocked lightly on Sasuke's door. He could hear his little brother's muffled sobs from the other side. He opened the door quietly and entered. Sasuke was lying face-down on his bed, crying piteously. Itachi sat down next to him and heaved him into a sitting position.

Sasuke just sat there crying with his eyes shut, tears and snot dripping off his chin and onto his nice clothes, clutching the yellow box to his chest. He opened his eyes and saw Itachi. Sasuke hurled himself at his older brother in a flurry of tears. Itachi was taken by surprise, and suddenly found himself holding onto his sobbing little brother. A large wet stain appeared on Itachi's shirt, but he ignored it. He ran his fingers through Sasuke's hair, feeling extremely awkward. Sasuke looked up in surprise. Itachi seized the opportunity to wipe the tears from Sasuke's eyes with a corner of Sasuke's bedsheet. It did not help much, as tears continued to drip down Sasuke's cheeks. He moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Itachi. Itachi patted his back slowly and steadily.

Gradually, Sasuke's tears stopped and he sat there in silence actuated by the odd sniff. Itachi gave him a few minutes to calm down before asking him quietly, "Alright, why are you crying?"

Sasuke looked at him mournfully, his eyes large and wet. Then he shut them firmly. "It doesn't matter. My special wish didn't come true, that's all."

Itachi felt slightly curious. "What do you mean, a wish?"

"Last night I saw a shooting star and I made a wish. Mum said if you wish on a shooting star, your wish will come true, but mine didn't..."

Sasuke rubbed at his eyes, angry at his own tears. Itachi resumed petting his back. Once Sasuke's tears had calmed a bit he asked, "What did you wish for?"

Sasuke took a few deep breaths and stopped crying. He looked up again at Itachi. Itachi wondered why he could see fear in Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke looked away from him out the window at the setting sun. He was clutching the yellow box so hard his knuckles were white. "It's really dumb," he started. "I wished... that today we could play with me like we used to, before you were always too busy. I always ask you to play, but you never ask me. Now you always have a mission, or training, or something else, and the only way I can make you stay with me is being _cute_. Even when I do that, you don't really want to play with me. You just do stuff because Mummy will be happy or you'll look good to other people. It's like, being my brother is hard work, or something..." Sasuke's voice trailed off before coming back at full strength. "You're my brother, ok!" he nearly screamed. "I don't like the other kids at my school. They're all stupid and boring. I just want to be friends with you!" He sat there panting, not a tear on his cheek, his eyes searching Itachi's for a signal, a sign that Itachi had heard and acknowledged what he had just admitted. He saw nothing, nothing at all in Itachi's hard, black eyes. Little rasping sobs escaped from his lips. He let himself slump forwards into a sort of fetal position and lay there, shivering while he sobbed. "I learned to stand on my head today," he said between sobs. "I can do it on my own now."

Oddly enough, this confession of Sasuke's had struck hard ground. Deep in the bowels of Itachi's mind, something stirred. He felt guilty. He had just enjoyed being the "idolized older brother" without thinking much about Sasuke. Yet, Sasuke was one of the few people who he could put up with, and who he didn't want to lose ever. Itachi turned a little, and pulled Sasuke upright. Sasuke refused to look at him. Itachi sighed. "Sasuke…" he said, annoyed. "Look at me, I'm trying to talk to you."

Sasuke looked at him, with a look full of hurt and anger that surprised Itachi with its intensity. He realized that being curt wasn't going to work now. He had to tell Sasuke everything. He began. "You're wrong, Sasuke. Maybe you're a little kid so you can't see it, but you're really important to me. I'm training hard almost every day, I'm going on missions, and, yes, I kill people because I want to become a ninja and protect everyone. I have to do what the team leaders say and what the Hokage says, because I work for everyone and I want to do the best things I can for the most people. I'll kill anyone, I'll hurt anyone, if I think it's the right thing to do." He paused. "Except you. Maybe you bother me, and wake me up early, and make me drop cakes, but I'm never going to hurt you, I promise."

"But you already hurt me!" protested Sasuke. "You cut my hand and all you gave me was a ratty old Shuriken!"

"That's not what I meant," said Itachi. "I meant that I'm never going to do anything that will hurt you forever. Besides, I was angry after the cake incident, but I taught you a lesson, right? What did I tell you?"

"We're Uchihas, and we have to be careful because of the family's honor," repeated Sasuke in a sulky monotone.

"Exactly," said Itachi. "And the shuriken was Shisui's present to me when I was seven. It's a really good one and I've been careful with it. It's special, just like you."

This caught Sasuke's attention. "Shisui gave it to you? Really?" he asked softly.

"Yes," said Itachi.

Sasuke looked at the box that held the shuriken. Itachi had always idolized Shisui. That he had given Sasuke something Shisui had given him was surprising and comforting. Sasuke looked back towards Itachi, and gave him a small smile. "Guess it's a better present than I thought," he said.

Itachi nodded and let go of him. Sasuke slid over next to him and gave him a hug. The two brothers sat there for a moment, lost in their thoughts.

The sound of footsteps coming toward the room brought him back to reality. The door to Sasuke's bedroom opened, and Mikoto came in. She looked at Sasuke, tearstained but smiling, and at Itachi sitting together, and thought the sight was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. She felt relief rush through her as Sasuke wasn't crying any more. She sat down on the other side of Sasuke and put her arms around both of them. "Feeling better?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke nodded.

Mikoto stood up and looked at Itachi with a smile. "Both of you should come back to the party within five minutes, ok? Make sure Sasuke washes his face." She left the room.

The two stood up, and Sasuke slipped his hand into Itachi's. He smiled up at him. "You're the coolest," he said. "Really."

Itachi looked down at his little brother and smiled. Quickly, he posed his forehead, saying, "Good. Now go wash your face." Sasuke rubbed his forehead and stuck his tongue out at Itachi. He pulled his hand away and ran off to the bathroom. Itachi stayed in Sasuke's room for a moment, an uncharacteristic grin spreading across his face. He enjoyed it for a moment before suppressing it and following his little brother out of the bedroom.

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**One More Chapter to go... Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I'll review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Disclaimer**: Characters(c)Masashi Kishimoto (Not mine!)

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Two days later…

Sasuke sat up, breathing hard. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and scratched his head. The warmth of Itachi's body that had been next to him when he had fallen asleep was not there anymore. He looked up at Itachi's clock, flashing out 6:15 AM. "Dang.", he whispered to the empty room. Now fully awake, he jumped off the bed and sped out of Itachi's room. He ran through the corridor, sped through the hall, burst out of the big front doors of the house, and ran down the path that led to the main road. It was dark and misty, and the yellow streetlights made the mist look contaminated. A sense of desperation welled through Sasuke. He had wanted to wake up in time to say goodbye to Itachi.

Sasuke's birthday had been two days ago. Itachi had put off his missions so that he could spend some time with Sasuke. They had had fun with all the things that Sasuke had been given, Itachi had smiled more than Sasuke had seen him do in a long time, and Sasuke had been happier than he ever had been before. Last night, they had stayed up so late that Sasuke ened up falling asleep next to Itachi, like he often had as a baby. Sasuke had thought that he would wake up when Itachi left the bed to prepare for his mission, but Itachi had left so quietly that Sasuke had stayed sleeping. Yet Sasuke still clung to a small, thin hope. Itachi had said he was going to wake up at six o'clock in the morning, and he had probably taken a few minutes to dress, so perhaps he hadn't gotten too far yet...

The cold from the morning air pierced Sasuke's skin. Drops of water condensed from the mist and ran down his bare chest. The further he ran, the more his small hope died. Just as he thought he would give up, a tall form seemed to materialize out of the mist. Itachi was standing next to a lamppost, a small smile etched on his serious face. Sasuke threw his arms around his brother with a sob of relief. "I thought you had left..." he said, his voice muffled by his brother's jacket.

Itachi smiled and patted him on the back. "I was trying not to wake you up. I'm sorry, Sasuke," he replied.

Sasuke beamed up at Itachi. "No, really, it's alright. I wanted to say goodbye and wish you good luck on your mission.", he said happily.

Itachi's little smile widened. He poked Sasuke's forehead and turned around. He lifted a hand in farewell and vanished with a puff of smoke.

Sasuke looked sadly at the empty space Itachi had occupied a few minutes before, and walked up to the lamppost and held on to it tightly. He stood there, and watched the mist rise all pink, yellow, and red, and smiled so hard his ears hurt. When the mist finished rising, he started walking back towards his house.

As he walked, his thoughts shifted towards his birthday party. He suddenly stood stock-still. "I never made a wish on the cake after blowing out all the candles." He looked over his shoulder and grinned. "I wish that Itachi and I will always be happy together as brothers." He knew his wish was perfect. Absolutely perfect. He ran back to the house and slipped into the empty hall once more. He wanted to go practice with his shuriken.

**THE END**

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**Thanks for reading!**

**Please leave me a review! I'd truly appreciate it, and I'll review something of yours in return if you want. Thanks in advance!**


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